- Dr. Andrew St. Bernard

I think we can all agree that losing stinks. It can create such a stir of emotions that make us feel awful about ourselves, and can make us either avoid trying again, or cause us to throw in the towel altogether. I think our culture in general takes losing so poorly that we have taught our kids from a young age that everyone wins, and we reinforce this belief with participation trophies, and other meaningless rewards. Truthfully, this causes more damage than good because it fails to prepare our children for a world that cares little about how we feel. Failure is a part of life, and the sooner we can change our perspective on it, the more prepared we will be for the win. So how can we cope better with a loss, and use it to propel us towards a win? We must learn. It has been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome. If it didn't work the first time, why does it make any sense to repeat it the same exact way and expect it to work this time? We must learn something from the experience, and get back to the drawing board. Whatever the challenge is that you're trying to conquer, you need to put in place a strategy of planning, execution, and most importantly analysis. Learn from those who have gone before you. Learn from others mistakes. Learn from books, blogs, newsletters. The more you learn, the more you’ll win.